Edwina Bartholomew shares ‘extremely lucky’ health update after leukaemia diagnosis

The Sunrise presenter has shared some excellent news, seven months after revealing her cancer diagnosis live on air and giving an insight into how leukaemia changed her outlook on life.

Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has revealed a joyful updated about her health as she continues treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia.

“I am almost in what they call molecular remission,” she said on Thursday.

“So that means, thanks to my daily medication and my incredible specialist, and also really the gift of time that I’ve been given by Seven, by working part time here at Sunrise to focus on my health, the leukaemia has essentially been eradicated from my body to the point that it’s almost undetectable now.

“So, I still need to take tablets for the next few years. But it is fantastic news, and I do share it this morning knowing lots of people are watching this going through their very own serious cancer battles, so it’s not lost on me how extraordinarily lucky I have been.”

Edwina Bartholomew and her husband Neil Varcoe with their children in the NSW town of Carcoar.

The news comes as the mother of two opened up about the realities of her family’s unique living arrangement, revealing that she only sees her husband on weekends.

Speaking to Women’s Weekly magazine, Bartholomew explained it was due to work and health commitments, also sharing how her battle with cancer reshaped her outlook on life as well as the emotional toll of juggling illness, motherhood, and a demanding career.

The 41 year old was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in July last year, a blood and bone marrow cancer that is not terminal but requires regular treatment.

She announced the diagnosis on air in early September 2024.

“You get this second lease on life,” she said.

“This perspective change that a health shock affords you.”

“A friend of mine describes it as like an awful dose of mortality. You’ve realised that, in a second, you could lose it all. I’m so conscious that I could have gone into the doctor’s office that day and they could have said anything. They could’ve said you’ve got weeks to live, or go sort it out. Since then, at the end of your darkest moments, comes the love.”

Bartholomew shares two young children, Molly, five, and Tom, three, with her husband Neil Varcoe.

She said her diagnosis made the couple “more appreciative of the time we have together.”

Edwina Bartholomew revealed her cancer diagnosis in 2024. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Before she was told she had cancer, Neil — who had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome — was spending most of his time in Carcoar, a small town in the Central West region of NSW.

“The reason we moved out to Carcoar was very much for Neil’s health, and this place has genuinely healed him,” she said.

“That was a decision we had to make for ourselves a few years ago because what we were doing clearly wasn’t working. It wasn’t working for him, it wasn’t working for our family, it wasn’t working for our marriage. And it’s been the best possible thing for us.”

“It seems kind of strange. He lives here, three hours away from us, and we see him on weekends and holidays and back and forth, but it’s been the best thing, and probably the only way we would have survived as a family.”

Sunrise Edwina Bartholomew with her two children.

The TV presenter said her experience with leukaemia has not only helped her embrace her own vulnerability, but also deepened her empathy for Neil’s challenges.

“I think it’s made me a bit more empathetic of his chronic fatigue,” she said.

“He’s getting better now but he’s been sick for 10 years. Was I as understanding as I could have been throughout that entire time? Probably not. So I think that’s given me a new perspective.”

“I think it’s made us much more appreciative of the time we have together too – and the importance of taking that time – just the two of us.”

“It’s taken the urgency out of everything and you just become incredibly appreciative of really simple stuff.”